Monday, May 18, 2026
ADVT 
National

Lawyers for alleged B.C. hijacker get more time to prepare bail application

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Aug, 2025 11:07 AM
  • Lawyers for alleged B.C. hijacker get more time to prepare bail application

The man accused of hijacking a plane and triggering a security scare at Vancouver International Airport last month appeared briefly at a provincial court in Richmond, B.C., where his lawyers were granted an adjournment.

Shaheer Cassim attended the court virtually from Surrey Pretrial Centre wearing an orange sweatsuit.

He acknowledged he could see and hear the judge, and sat with his hands on his knees throughout the short video appearance, which lasted less than five minutes.

An articling student representing Cassim's defence lawyer, Kevin Westell, asked the court for a two-week adjournment as they continue to prepare a bail application.

The agent confirmed Cassim had agreed to remain in custody until his next appearance, which the judge scheduled for Sept. 2.

Cassim is a former commercial pilot who faces charges for allegedly taking a small aircraft from Victoria's airport on July 15 and flying it over the Vancouver airport before he was arrested upon landing.

The 39-year-old has been in custody at the pretrial facility in Surrey since his arrest and his court files have been placed under publication bans. 

He's been charged with hijacking, which is an offence constituting terrorism, and with damaging or interfering with a navigation system.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

MORE National ARTICLES

Poilievre hails B.C. byelection win for Conservatives as Liberal vote collapses

Poilievre hails B.C. byelection win for Conservatives as Liberal vote collapses
Monday's byelection in the Fraser Valley seat, which had been held by the Liberals and is traditionally closely contested, came on the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ruling party was thrown into turmoil by finance minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation.

Poilievre hails B.C. byelection win for Conservatives as Liberal vote collapses

Postal employees head back to work as union challenges strike intervention

Postal employees head back to work as union challenges strike intervention
Canada Post trucks, conveyors and mail carriers are moving again after a month-long strike by more than 55,000 postal workers left letters and parcels in limbo. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered postal workers back on the job following hearings over the weekend to determine whether the two sides stood too far apart to reach a deal by year's end.

Postal employees head back to work as union challenges strike intervention

'Only viable path': Freeland quits cabinet, carves out new role on federal backbench

'Only viable path': Freeland quits cabinet, carves out new role on federal backbench
In a career filled with fresh milestones, Chrystia Freeland is taking up another new role: backbench member of the governing Liberal party. Freeland resigned from the federal cabinet Monday, the day she was set to present the government's fall economic statement. 

'Only viable path': Freeland quits cabinet, carves out new role on federal backbench

A list of Liberal cabinet ministers who have recently quit or don't plan to run again

A list of Liberal cabinet ministers who have recently quit or don't plan to run again
It is the latest in a string of small shuffles Trudeau has been forced to make in recent months to replace ministers who have made clear they won't be seeking re-election. Several others who indicated publicly in October that they won't run again have yet to be replaced.

A list of Liberal cabinet ministers who have recently quit or don't plan to run again

'Human error' caused spill of up to 8,000 litres of fuel off B.C.'s coast: government

'Human error' caused spill of up to 8,000 litres of fuel off B.C.'s coast: government
Human error during a fuel transfer at a fish farm off the west coast of British Columbia has resulted in a spill into the water of up to 8,000 litres of diesel. The B.C. government said in a report on its website that the spill happened Saturday at the Grieg Seafood fish farm near Zeballos, on the northwest side of Vancouver Island. 

'Human error' caused spill of up to 8,000 litres of fuel off B.C.'s coast: government

Family, friends, leaders gather at memorial for former B.C. premier John Horgan

Family, friends, leaders gather at memorial for former B.C. premier John Horgan
Up to three thousand people gathered at the Q Centre in the suburban Victoria community of Colwood for a memorial service for the former New Democrat premier and Canada's ambassador to Germany who died last month at age 65 following his third bout with cancer.

Family, friends, leaders gather at memorial for former B.C. premier John Horgan